INSTRUCTIONS

ZOOM IN by clicking on the page. A slider will appear, allowing you to adjust your zoom level. Return to the original size by clicking on the page again.

MOVE the page around when zoomed in by dragging it.

ADJUST the zoom using the slider on the top right.

ZOOM OUT by clicking on the zoomed-in page.

SEARCH by entering text in the search field and click on "In This Issue" or "All Issues" to search the current issue or the archive of back issues
respectively.

PRINT by clicking on thumbnails to select pages, and then press the
print button.

SHARE this publication and page.

ROTATE PAGE allows you to turn pages 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise. Click on the page to return to the original orientation. To zoom in on a rotated page, return the page to its original orientation, zoom in, and
then rotate it again.

CONTENTS displays a table of sections with thumbnails and descriptions.

ALL PAGES displays thumbnails of every page in the issue. Click on
a page to jump.

BROWSE ISSUES allows you to browse through every available issue.

A FREE APP allows you to download issues to your mobile device for offline viewing. Get the Model Railroader Archive app in the iTunes and Google Play stores.

------- .....1--------------I-0/%... # : Locomotive and caboose cards Add another dimension to car-card operation BY DAN HOLBROOK PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR ' ft ..----*%-•$*.# I. . .,/, . 036>r / :43 St / 4,= - : i6. 9 J - - ..•I« 1 - ., '' . .* . rI . . 036 - -* -*« I • 'F 3/. CD : / ·F . riAC)- E- 1, -9 , # 1 3.+ + 21 + . I -ilri.i,111-11 i '1 T '11 1 :I '. 036-2 = = 4 i ...10 I 13* r ' ** L 4./ 1.-I--, .... »h* -./ 4'4 ./ tri. 036.,1. \ / \4* 34-h... - . i 1-XZ-x- -»C Rick Gher uses locomotive cards to help manage the motive power fleet at the Glenwood roundhouse. DROTOTYPE REALISM! We strive and horsepower of the locomotives. For ofassigning locomotives (and cabooses) 1 for it in freight and passenger steam engines, you can include capaci- and adapt to your needs. movements, but we seldom look at the ties of coal, oil, water, your railroad pull around your layout). . t. i =--I ,/ 1 'A'-,« -4 1> '4\ r.' #b . . - 4 1/ " operational aspects of our locomotives class, and approximate tonnage rating modeling period, railroads had to do fedand cabooses. I know, most of you are (number of cars the engine is able to going to say, "So what? Engines and cabooses are only the supporting characters in car-card operations."NOT true! Real locomotives and cabooses need specific kind of service: road, local, Inspection date. In the early 197Os, my eral inspections in 30-, 60-, 90-day, and annual increments. Steam locomotives Next list all of your cabooses. Indi- were inspected in the same way. Diesels cate whether each car is meant for any are much easier to inspect than steam locomotives, and inspection will keep a almost as much switching and spotting yard, or transfer. Other information diesel down for only 12 to 24 hours. as freight cars. Locomotives must be you may want to include is the type of Sometimes a steam engine could be fueled and serviced with sand and lubri- cants, and both steamers and passenger early '7Os, some western states man- cause they have many more parts to be diesels with steam generators need wa- dated that all cabooses operating inside ter as well. Cabooses need stove fuel, stove or toilet. In the late 1960s and down for inspection for 2 to 3 days, beinspected. If you follow these inspec- whether coal or oil, drinking water for retaining toilet. The more information you'll find that you'll need more enthe crew, and general cleaning. their boundaries have a chemical-type tion guidelines with steam engines, you add to the cards, the more fun you gines on your roster. Railroads must schedule locomotives can have switching and moving your for routine maintenance, and be sure to engines and cabooses. fulfill federal requirements for inspecting and repairing locomotives. Steam 10- We can add all or parts of this busi- Because we don't operate our layouts every day, we can't assign a specific Use the information from the lists to date during the month for an inspecfill out a card for each locomotive and tion. Instead, I've used a date on the 10- comotive boilers also had to be washed caboose. Figure 1 shows typical locomo- comotive card to coincide with consecuout at regular intervals. month doesn't matter. tive cards. The first line will be easiest tively numbered operating sessions. to fill out with the locomotive's num- Our first session, no matter the calen- ness to our operating sessions. You ber, model designation or class, and dar date, is number 1, and the next sesmightjust use car cards and apply loco- horsepower. I'll spell out what's needed sion is number 2. The actual day of the motive or caboose numbers to them, on the other lines in more detail. but at the Midwest Railroad Modelers club in Batavia, Ill., we prefer a different type of card for locomotives and ca- Assigned. Usually the name of a location or region, but may indicate a ser- booses. Different cards make it easier riety of ways to fulfill the railroad's and faster to distinguish engine and taboose cards from those of freight cars. MAKING THE CARDS needs. If you model a prototype, it's To assign inspection dates, number slips of paper from 1 to 31, for the 31 vice pool. Engines are assigned in a va- days of the month. Mix them in a box, pull out one number for each locomotive, and note it on your locomotive list. fairly easy to determine how locomo- Ifyou have 31 or fewer engines on your tives are assigned. roster, you'll only have to do this once. The Burlington Northern, the proto- For more engines, start over after all lined 3x5 file cards and a typewriter to specific roundhouses. The Chicago & follow the list in filling out the cards. or pen. Make a list ofalllocomotives on North Western assigns locomotives by your roster, including all their special divisions for local and switching serequipment such as steam generators, vice, but also has a general freight pool All it takes is a simple package of type I follow, assigned its locomotives the numbers have been drawn. Then Movement days. Each locomotive has to return to its assigned "home" for inspection. The "Movement days/sessions" dynamic brakes, snowplows, and any- of high-horsepower units for through number tells how long it takes to get a thing else you think is pertinent and trains. If you're operating a free-lance necessary. Also list the model (type) specific engine to wherever it's assigned. road, choose some prototypical method There are two movement-days lines, one 122 FEBRUARY 1992